Contributor

Hi, I have NOT been able to update my Windows 7 Enterprise 64-bit for almost 3 years... Previously, Windows would download and attempt to install the same updates repeatedly, and failed repeatedly. Only 'some' MS Office updates were installed successfully. (I've lived with this issue for so long because it's a desktop PC and I wasn't home a lot.)

Recently, I noticed that the issue has gotten even worse. Somehow, Windows Update was turned off and could not even be turned on. I tried the official tool "Windows Update Troubleshooter" and was able to turn it back on again. However, when I search for updates, I keep getting the same Error Code 8000FFFF. The message says "Windows could not search for new updates" and "An error occurred while checking for new updates for your computer."

Interestingly, the Update icon appeared on the taskbar anyway and was downloading updates. However, only a bunch of Office updates got installed successfully. The rest all failed. The Update icon has since disappeared.

So this is where I am now. After trying several other solutions on the Internet, the issue remains. I still cannot check or install any updates, except I got many MS Office updates installed successfully in the process.

I'm fed up with this issue. Hopefully I can finally resolve this issue, with your help. Many thanks in advance!

Moderator, BSOD Kernel Dump Expert, Windows Update Instructor

Step#1 - Capture Process Monitor Trace 1. Download and run Process Monitor. Leave this running while you perform the next steps.
2. Try searching for updates just like you have in the past.
3. Stop Process Monitor as soon as it fails. You can simply do this by clicking the magnifying glass on the toolbar as shown below.

4. Select the File menu...Save... and save the file to your desktop. This is likely the default location. The name (unless changed) will be LogFile.PML. This is fine.
5. Zip up and attach the LogFile.PML file as well as your CBS.log

Contributor

Hi Softwaremaniac, very sorry for the terrible delay. Life was getting in the way...

So I tried something on my own before your last reply. I did not expect it to work, but surprisingly, my issue has improved greatly as a result. But it's still not fully resolved.

I can now search for updates (although searching can take a long time). And I was even able to install almost all Security Updates successfully, Except the latest one (2019-01 Security Monthly Quality Rollup KB4480970) with the same error code 8000FFFF repeatedly.

Here's what I did which improved the issue:
I rebooted and pressed F8 to enter the repair console. Then I deleted this file:
del f:\windows\winsxs\pending.xml
del x:\windows\winsxs\pending.xml
(Note: In my case, the assigned drive letter was changed from C: to F: in repair console. I guess it depends on how many drives and partitions you have.)

Then I rebooted back to Windows. And I was able to search for updates and install them. (I also noticed Windows Defender and Action Center started working too. I didn't even realize that they were not working before. SFC seemed to have fixed a lot things for me.)

I tried this only because previously I was not able to run the SFC command in Windows. I would always get this Repair Pending error message even after restarting:
There is a system repair pending which requires reboot to complete. Restart Windows and run sfc again.

I'm trying to attach the LogFile.PML file you asked earlier. However, exporting/saving the file takes more than 2 hours. Is this normal? I did stop as soon as the update fails. I will upload it along with CBS.log after it finishes.

I'm not sure if what I did will change how we approach this issue. Please let me know what you think and If I need to do anything differently. I apologize for the delay once again. Thank you so much!

Contributor

Note: I had trouble saving and uploading LogFile.PML because it is huge. After multiple attempts, I managed to keep it under 3 GB in size. I had to run ProcMon only after Windows Update finished downloading KB4480970 and began creating a restore point. If I start ProcMon right after clicking the "Try again" or "Install Updates" button, LogFile.PML will be more than 10 GB...

I hope you can open LogFile.PML file this time. If not, I must have done something wrong. I did NOT click anything after starting ProcMon. I only clicked the magnifying glass icon after the update failed, then I saved the file. Please let me know if I did every step correctly.

New member

Just registered to say that this suggested installation of KB3177467 worked perfectly for me to bypass the error 8000FFFF I had while trying to install KB4480970 (Security monthly quality rollup for win7 x64). Thanks softwaremaniac!

Moderator, BSOD Kernel Dump Expert, Windows Update Instructor

Contributor

Hi Softwaremaniac, sorry that it took me more than a month to reply... Thank you for keeping this thread open.

I'm glad to see this thread has helped A2line as well. I'm also happy to report that after installing KB3177467 as you last instructed, the error 8000FFFF appears to have gone away.

I did get some other error codes in the past month, but I was able to resolve them on my own, mainly by making more free space available on my C drive. I often have less than 1 GB of free space on C drive, which seems to often cause errors, especially when you try to install a big update, such as a Monthly Quality Rollup which requires a lot of space to install.

Windows Update seems to be fully functional now at this point. This would not happen without you. Thank you so much, Softwaremaniac!

Interestingly, looking back, I did try to install KB3177467 before I opened the thread here. Your first suggestion was also to install this update. But I kept getting the "not applicable" install error. I would not have tried again if you didn't tell me to.

If I may, I will post an update if anything changes in the next month or two.

Thank you once again for all your help and walking me through this whole process! I made a donation through PayPal as appreciation. Hope I get to visit Croatia one day

Q1: Should I install Microsoft Outlook/Viso/InfoPath/Etc updates (including security updates) if I don't use these programs?

Moderator, BSOD Kernel Dump Expert, Windows Update Instructor

Thank you for your kind words. I'm very happy to hear that my solution has indeed worked. Yes, lack of free space can often cause issues, but there are error codes which help us determine the cause of the error.

Your donation is very much appreciated as it helps keep the site alive.